Allergies often require long-term management to prevent itch and skin or ear infections. We love seeing the improvements our allergy plans make for allergic animals and their owners.
If you have a pet who is itchy or has skin or ear infections, they may have allergies as the underlying cause. We recommend booking a 1-hour Initial Dermatology Appointment with Dr Gill for assessment and a plan.
Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis (atopy) is a chronic allergic skin condition caused by a pet’s immune system over-reacting to normally harmless things in the environment such as pollens, moulds, and house dust mites.
Pets with atopy are often itchy and may suffer from recurrent skin or ear infections.
Atopic dermatitis is a clinical diagnosis made by your vet based on their clinical signs, and once food, flea and contact allergies have been ruled out.
While there is no cure for atopic dermatitis, the condition can be managed with appropriate long-term treatment strategies such as symptom control with itch and inflammation-relief medication, skin barrier support and infection control.
The only therapy that can modify the course of atopic dermatitis, and reduce reliance on medications is an individually tailored treatment called allergen specific immunotherapy which is designed for an individual pet following allergy testing. (see below)
Allergy Testing
If your pet has atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies), allergy testing can help identify what tree pollens, grass pollens, moulds, insects or mites you pet is reacting to in their environment.
Because most allergens in the environment are hard to avoid, the main reason for allergy testing is to identify which allergens to include for allergen-specific immunotherapy.
There are two types of allergy tests available for pets:
Intradermal skin testing is regarded as the ’gold standard’ for allergy testing. Intradermal testing examines the response of the skin to various common environmental allergens. Testing involves a light sedative so pets lie very still while tiny amounts of over 60 allergens, as well as positive and negative controls are injected one by one into the skin.
Blood allergy test (Heska Allercept® or Nexmune PAX®) is often combined with intradermal skin testing for a complete assessment of a pet’s allergies. The blood test measures allergen-specific immunoglobulin (IgE) in the blood. If skin testing is not possible for medical reasons, an IgE blood test may be used to guide allergen selection for immunotherapy.
Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy
For The Treatment Of
Canine Atopic Dermatitis and
Feline Atopic Skin Syndrome
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) is a treatment approach that involves administering controlled, gradually increasing doses of the allergens to which your pet is sensitive to. The goal is to modify your pet’s immune response to allergens, reducing sensitivity and thereby decreasing the clinical signs of itching and skin inflammation.
Treatment Efficacy: More than two-thirds of pets treated with ASIT experience good to excellent clinical improvement. Responses vary among individuals, with most pets having at least 50% reduction in symptoms.
Treatment Timeline: Dogs and cats that respond favorably to treatment show improvement within the first 6 - 12 months. We recommend completing at least 12 months of therapy before evaluating its effectiveness. ‘Rush’ protocols may be suitable for some pets and can accelerate the response to immunotherapy.
Safety Profile: ASIT is considered a very safe treatment option with minimal side effects. The most frequently reported adverse effect is temporary increased itching, which can typically be managed with antihistamines. Serious systemic reactions are uncommon.
How is it given? Immunotherapy can be formulated to be given by injection under the skin (usually once every 2-4 weeks), or as a liquid in the mouth given once or twice a day.
Concurrent Management: Your pet may require treatments alongside immunotherapy, particularly during the initial phase. These may include medications to control itching, support a healthy skin barrier and prevent secondary bacterial or yeast infections.
ASIT formula: ASIT is formulated individually for each patient. We will first confirm the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis based on your pet’s medical history and clinical presentation, then identify specific allergens through intradermal and/or serum allergy testing. The immunotherapy formulation will be customised based on these results.
Long-term Outlook: For pets that respond well, ASIT can provide effective, sustained management of atopic dermatitis over many years, with continued efficacy and an excellent safety profile.
Why choose immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy addresses the underlying cause of allergic dermatitis rather than just treating symptoms. By re-training your pet's immune system to be less reactive to environmental allergens, it provides lasting relief from chronic itching, inflammation, and secondary skin infections. Most pets experience significantly reduced flare-ups of their allergies over time, leading to a much-improved quality of life with less discomfort.
Immunotherapy can reduce or eliminate your pet's dependence on ongoing symptomatic medications, which means fewer vet visits for medication adjustments and lower long-term costs.
Immunotherapy has also been shown to reduce or stop the progression of clinical signs which is an important consideration for young animals as allergy symptoms can get worse year on year.